1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention lies within the liquid dispensing art. More particularly, it lies within the field of beverage dispensing from a beverage container through a faucet. The faucet is removably mounted to the beverage container on a spigot to allow for flow of liquid or the beverage from the container through the faucet.
2. The Prior Art
The prior art with regard to liquid dispensers and more particularly, beverage dispensers, incorporated a spigot. The spigot was usually mounted to a lock nut configuration along with other means to hold it to a faucet.
The spigot was caused to be mounted and passed through the walls of a beverage container. The beverage container could be formed of various materials. Oftentimes, the beverage container was formed from rotationally molded high density polyethylene (HDP). The beverage container could also be formed from blow molded or injection molded materials or for that matter, a metal container, such as well known coffee dispensers of the prior art.
Oftentimes, when beverage dispensers are used in a commercial environment, they must be cleaned. In order to clean the beverage dispensers it was oftentimes necessary to clean and wash the entire dispenser, including the faucet, spigot and other means for extracting the beverage from the container.
In order to wash the beverage container and clean it, it was necessary to disassemble the faucet and spigot and remove them from the container. After the faucet and spigot were removed from the container, they were then cleaned in a suitable manner such as by hand or through a dishwasher. The opening to the beverage dispenser was also cleaned, including the interior thereof.
In order to take the spigot and the faucet apart, it was necessary to use a particular wrench. This is due to the fact that the securement means of the spigot passing through the side wall of the container did not lend itself to rotationally unthreading the spigot from the faucet. In order to do this, it was necessary to have a hex nut or other means turned by means of a wrench in order to loosen the entire spigot and faucet combination.
When looking more particularly at the prior art, it can be seen that a hex nut or other nut was generally incorporated on the outside wall of the beverage container. The hex nut was threaded over the spigot which passed through the beverage container walls which seated it tightly within the beverage container walls. Attached to the spigot on the outside of the beverage container was a faucet with a winged securement connector which connected the spigot to the faucet. This was easily enough maintained but in order to withdraw the faucet from the spigot, it was necessary to unthread the hex or other securement nut of the spigot by means of a wrench.
This invention overcomes the foregoing deficiency by providing an integral unthreading means by means of a novel winged connector in combination with a novel securement nut. The winged connector in this particular instance is allowed to be used as a wrench or key in turning the hex or other securement nut attached to the spigot and thereby loosening or tightening it. After complete unthreading, the spigot can be removed from the container. The separate parts of the assembly can then be cleaned. Consequently, this invention stands as a significant advance over the prior art by providing a disassembly and removal of a spigot and faucet from a beverage container without any means of external tools or wrenches in order to disassemble and clean a beverage container and the dispensing means.